McCord and Latourell Creeks

[JeffKohn]

As beautiful as the waterfalls in the Columbia River Gorge are, they can be somewhat of a challenge to shoot due to limited viewpoints and the fact that the falls often lend themselves to fairly standard compositions. While I took plenty of the 'typical' waterfall shots (you can see some of them here, I also tried to look for less obvious compositions. Here are two that I'd like your feedback on.


Cascade, McCord Creek


Latourell Creek

[dalethorn]

As beautiful as the waterfalls in the Columbia River Gorge are, they can be somewhat of a challenge to shoot due to limited viewpoints and the fact that the falls often lend themselves to fairly standard compositions. While I took plenty of the 'typical' waterfall shots (you can see some of them here, I also tried to look for less obvious compositions. Here are two that I'd like your feedback on.

You picked two good samples here.  The first is interesting because of the way the water frames that rock in left-center.  The second also interesting in a kind-of rainbow effect with the upper water, offsetting the perspective with the water below.  Rainbow is probably not the right word, but it has a really different look.

[button]

#1 seems a bit disjointed.  The vertical part of the waterfall looks like an afterthought, and the large mossy rock in the upper left corner pulls attention from the running water.

#2 wins for me.  I initially saw this on my B/W monitor and then on a color one- I definitely like the greens.

This image works because you've captured motion and balanced geometry.  The water/creek bed forms a nice "S" curve which is bounded by triangles of greenery in the upper right and lower left 1/3s of the shot.  On top of that, the lines of the waterfall, the greenery triangles, and the running water form a star, whose center lies at the center of the photo.

To complete this image, I'd place a vertical crop line on the right which runs along the vertical part of the "E" in "Jeff Kohn."  This will better balance the left triangle with the right.

Well done.

John

[John R]

They both look good to me. Certainly I like and think the second shot is the better of the two, but the first is good also. One can be too critical also. I see the first as a diagonal cutting across the picture space. Sometimes water (excessivelly slow shutter speeds) can be too white and overwhelm the naturalness of an image. The second is a good mix, while the first seems OK because of the black-like streaks throughout.

Nice images.

JMR

[button]

One can be too critical also.

Well, I certainly don't want to be the bad guy!    Jeff obviously has strong compositional sensibility.  Fortunately, my opinion is just that: my opinion.  What's that saying- "opinions are like #%$holes.  Everyone has one, and they all stink!"

John

[John R]

Well, I certainly don't want to be the bad guy!    Jeff obviously has strong compositional sensibility.  Fortunately, my opinion is just that: my opinion.  What's that saying- "opinions are like #%$holes.  Everyone has one, and they all stink!"

John

Ok, point taken. The one I like the least is from the other post, Wahkeena creek, where the water just does not look like water and it disturbs my visual sense. But the composition and scene is excellent and I don't suppose long exposures can be avoided under the cover of the canopy.

JMR

[jdemott]

Hello Jeff,

I like your fresh approach to these two locations.  As you say, the viewpoints are limited at some of the Columbia Gorge falls (at least they are limited if you are trying to keep both photographer and camera out of harm's way) and there are a lot of photos with fairly standard views of the falls.  For me, the shot of Latourell works really well...the truncated lower section of the falls in the background implies the much higher top of the complete falls (and in the mind's eye the top could be very high indeed).  Color and exposure seem just right on that one also.  On the McCord Creek shot, I think I see what you were trying to achieve but, for me anyway, the unusual perspective combined with the discontinuity between falls and cascade creates something of an artificial feeling.  Thanks for sharing these.

[wolfnowl]

I really like the framing of the first one - except for that brown stump that stands out like a sore thumb!  Don't suppose you could dive in and remove that first, huh?  The second one is good too.

Mike.

[cmi]

The first one is too complicated for me, too much elements, too much going on, a tad too dark.

The second one conveys the athmosphere very good, Im beginning to relax as I look at it. I also tried buttons cropping advice, and I think it works too, but  it doesnt get better.

Christian

[JeffKohn]

Thanks for commenting, everybody. I appreciate all the feedback, it's very useful to me (much more useful than the 'nice shot' comments I'd get on most other forums).

I see what you guys are saying about the first shot maybe being a little overly complex/crowded. It's a very wide angle of view (multiple 12mm vertical shots stitched together); and the wider the FOV, the more difficult it is to keep the composition focused and avoid distractions. I'll probably revisit the un-cropped stitch see if there are some other possibilities for cropping that would simplify the scene.

Well, I certainly don't want to be the bad guy!

Not at all. I post here in User Critiques because I want serious feedback. Even in shots that I'm happy with, I can almost always find areas for improvement. Finding out if others see those same flaws (or maybe other ones I didn't initially see) is useful. This is how we get better.

[grilla]

I live 40 minutes from where these two pictures were taken, and a year ago I moved from Texas (the photographer is from Texas as well). I am geographically qualified to critique these pictures    

I like someone that takes a different approach to the same old photograph that others have taken a million times. Both of these offer a different interpretation, and I really like both of them a great deal, especially the first one.

[Colorwave]

I like them both, but for my meager $.02, I'd like a less horizontal crop on the first image.  I have no problem at all with the downed log, but find that the big rock on the lower left is cropped a little too close to the edge of the image for me.  I'd like a little more water under it, and think a bit more of the rock in the very corner might bounce our eye back to the middle better.  Even a little more of the top and the vertical waterfall would improve it, as it would give it a little more presence and balance.  To me, the first shot has plenty of interest, without being overly complex at all.